Penguins Reach Agreement With Former Assistant And His Wife Following Sex Abuse Claims
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins and a former assistant and his wife have reached a settlement following claims of sexual abuse during a team road trip in 2018.
A lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of Erin Skalde and named the Penguins, a former coach, and team owner Mario Lemieux, among others.
The lawsuit detailed an alleged sexual assault by then-head coach of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins Clark Donatelli.
Jarrod Skalde, who was an assistant coach with the team at the time, claims Donatelli sexually abused his wife during a team road trip in 2018.
The suit also claimed the Penguins organization management told Jarrod Skalde to keep quiet and called the accusation made by his wife a lie.
"The events of the last three years have been deeply challenging and my hope is to now move forward as an advocate for others. I call this commitment my Meaningful Life Project and my most fervent energy and efforts will be focused there to continue my personal growth, support others and be an instrument of change," said Erin Skalde.
"I am glad that this has been resolved and my hope is I can move forward with my professional coaching career and personal life," said Jarrod Skalde. His lawyers Charles Wentworth and David Fish added: "We are pleased that the Penguins organization worked with us to resolve this dispute so that Jarrod and his family can move on with their lives."
In a statement, the Penguins organization says they hope that the resolution will "bring closure to the Skaldes, provide some measure of peace, and continue to encourage and promote a culture of openness, accountability, and respect at all levels of professional sports."
The details of the settlement were not disclosed.